CN115222926A

CN115222926A - Method, apparatus, and medium for planning a route in a virtual environment

Info

Publication number: CN115222926A
Application number: CN202210866074.8A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 陈剑峰
Original assignee: Lingyue Digital Information Technology Co ltd
Current assignee: Lingyue Digital Information Technology Co ltd
Priority date: 2022-07-22
Filing date: 2022-07-22
Publication date: 2022-10-21

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to methods, apparatuses, and media for planning routes in virtual environments. A method for planning a route in a virtual environment, comprising: displaying an overview view of the virtual environment to a user of the virtual environment for the user to select one or more virtual items of interest in the virtual environment; generating a route of visit of the user in the virtual environment according to the one or more virtual items of interest selected by the user, wherein the route of visit at least comprises scenes of the one or more virtual items of interest in the virtual environment; and enabling the user to change speed to pass through a transition scene in the visiting route according to the user preference of the user, wherein the transition scene is a passing scene from a scene where one virtual article in the one or more interested virtual articles is located to a scene where another virtual article is located by the user.

Description

Method, apparatus, and medium for planning a route in a virtual environment

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to the field of computer technology, and more particularly to route planning in a virtual environment.

Background

With the development of computer technology, virtual reality technology combining a virtual environment with a real environment is receiving more and more attention. Virtual Reality includes a plurality of technical branches such as AR (Augmented Reality), VR (Virtual Reality), MR (Mixed Reality), and the like.

The AR superimposes the virtual information in the real environment through equipment identification and judgment, so that the virtual information is interacted in real time in the real environment. VR is commonly referred to as immersive virtual reality and presents a fully virtual environment to a user, giving the user a sense of being in the real world. MR refers to a new visualization environment resulting from the merging of real and virtual worlds, where physical and digital objects coexist and interact in real time.

On the basis of the above virtual reality technology, the concept of the metaseque (Metaverse) arises. The meta universe is a virtual world which is linked and created based on the virtual reality technology and is mapped and interacted with the real world, and is a digital living space with a novel social system.

Disclosure of Invention

Different virtual environments may be designed to provide different services and experiences to users. For example, the virtual environment may be designed as a virtual exhibition hall, virtual exhibits are set in the virtual exhibition hall, and the user may get experience similar to or better than that of viewing the exhibition hall in the real world by browsing the virtual exhibits in the virtual exhibition hall.

However, when a user visits in a virtual environment such as a virtual exhibition hall, it is necessary to control the avatar of the user in the virtual exhibition hall through frequent interaction with virtual reality devices, to make the avatar go forward, backward, etc. in the virtual exhibition hall, so as to find and view a virtual exhibit of interest to the user. Such operations can be cumbersome for the user, especially in cases where the virtual exhibition hall is large in size, the route is complex, etc., where user interaction becomes more cumbersome and inefficient, possibly affecting the user experience.

The present disclosure is made in view of one or more of the above problems, and provides a mechanism for planning a route in a virtual environment, which can save the interaction complexity between a user and a virtual reality device when the user visits in the virtual environment, and improve the visiting efficiency and experience of the user.

According to an aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a method for planning a route in a virtual environment, comprising: displaying an overview view of the virtual environment to a user of the virtual environment for the user to select one or more virtual items of interest in the virtual environment; generating a route of visit of the user in the virtual environment according to the one or more virtual items of interest selected by the user, wherein the route of visit at least comprises scenes of the one or more virtual items of interest in the virtual environment; and enabling the user to change speed to pass through a transition scene in the visiting route according to the user preference of the user, wherein the transition scene is a passing scene from a scene where one virtual article in the one or more interested virtual articles is located to a scene where another virtual article is located by the user.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided an apparatus for social recommendation in a virtual environment, comprising: a memory having instructions stored thereon; and a processor configured to execute instructions stored on the memory to perform the following: displaying an overview view of the virtual environment to a user of the virtual environment for the user to select one or more virtual items of interest in the virtual environment; generating a route of visit of the user in the virtual environment according to the one or more virtual items of interest selected by the user, wherein the route of visit at least comprises scenes of the one or more virtual items of interest in the virtual environment; and enabling the user to change speed to pass through a transition scene in the visiting route according to the user preference of the user, wherein the transition scene is a passing scene from a scene where one virtual article in the one or more interested virtual articles is located to a scene where another virtual article is located by the user.

According to yet another aspect of the disclosure, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, on which a computer program is stored which, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to perform a method as in accordance with the disclosure.

Drawings

The present disclosure will now be described in the following detailed description with reference to the figures, in which like reference numerals represent the same or similar components throughout the figures. It is understood that the drawings are not necessarily to scale and that the drawings are merely illustrative of exemplary embodiments of the disclosure and should not be considered as limiting the scope of the disclosure. Wherein:

FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of a virtual environment and a planned route, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 2 shows a block diagram of an exemplary configuration of an apparatus for planning a route in a virtual environment, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary configuration block diagram of a method for planning a route in a virtual environment, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 shows a schematic diagram of a virtual environment and a planned route, according to another embodiment of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary configuration of a computing device in which embodiments in accordance with the invention may be implemented.

Detailed Description

Various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It is to be understood that the description of various exemplary embodiments is illustrative only and is not intended to limit the technology of the present disclosure in any way. The relative arrangement of components and steps, expressions, and values in the exemplary embodiments do not limit the scope of the present disclosure unless specifically stated otherwise.

Fig. 1 shows a schematic view of a virtual environment and a planned route according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

The virtual environments described in this disclosure are virtual environments that are presented to a user using virtual reality technology, including but not limited to virtual environments presented using AR, VR, MR, metastables, etc. technologies, such as virtual showrooms, virtual amusement parks, virtual performance venues, etc. Furthermore, the virtual environment described in this disclosure is not limited to a fully virtual environment, but may also include a combination of virtual and real environments. Additionally, the users described in this disclosure are users that experience in a virtual environment using virtual reality technology. The user enters the virtual environment by using the virtual reality equipment worn by the user, the virtual image corresponding to the user is displayed in the virtual environment, the virtual images of other users in the virtual environment can be seen, the user interacts with other users, interacts with virtual objects in the virtual environment and the like.

The virtual environment shown in fig. 1 is, for example, a virtual showroom in which a plurality of virtual exhibits 1 to 9 are displayed. The virtual showroom is composed of three floors, the first floor displays

virtual exhibits

1, 2 and 3, the second floor displays

virtual exhibits

4, 5 and 6, and the third floor displays virtual exhibits 7, 8 and 9. The user utilizes the virtual reality equipment worn by the user to enter the virtual exhibition hall, controls the virtual image which is displayed in the virtual exhibition hall and corresponds to the user, and walks to the front of different virtual exhibits to visit the exhibition hall.

However, when the user is in the virtual exhibition hall to watch the virtual exhibits, frequent interaction with the virtual reality device is needed to control the virtual images of the user in the virtual exhibition hall, so that the virtual images move forward and backward in the virtual exhibition hall, and the like, thereby finding the interested virtual exhibits. The process may be cumbersome, resulting in low user visit efficiency and reduced user experience.

For example, the user may only be interested in

virtual exhibits

7, 8, 9 of the third layer, but not in virtual exhibits of the first and second layers. In this case, the user needs to interact with the virtual reality device (for example, through gesture control, mouse click, etc.), and control the avatar to go upstairs from the first floor to the second floor, and go upstairs to the third floor after passing through the second floor, so as to visit the interested

virtual exhibits

7, 8, and 9. In addition, in some cases, a user may not know the location of a virtual exhibit of interest to the user in advance, and may exit the experience of the virtual exhibit after browsing several virtual exhibits that are not of interest. For example, after browsing the second layer of virtual exhibits, the user may choose to exit the virtual exhibition hall without finding the interesting virtual exhibits.

The present disclosure provides a mechanism for planning a route in a virtual environment, which can save the interaction complexity between a user and a virtual reality device when the user visits in the virtual environment, and improve the visiting efficiency and experience of the user.

The mechanism for planning a route in a virtual environment according to the present disclosure will be described in detail below in conjunction with fig. 2 and 3.

Fig. 2 shows a block diagram of an exemplary configuration of an apparatus 2000 for planning a route in a virtual environment, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

As shown in fig. 2, in some embodiments, the apparatus 2000 may include a processor 2010. Processor 2010 of device 2000 provides various functions of device 2000. In some embodiments, the processor 2010 of the apparatus 2000 may be configured to execute 3000 (described later with reference to fig. 3) for planning a route in a virtual environment. Specifically, as shown in fig. 2, the processor 2010 of the apparatus 2000 may include an overview view display unit 2020, an visiting route generation unit 2030, and a scene shifting unit 2040, each configured to perform steps S3010 to S3030 in a method 3000 for planning a route in a virtual environment shown in fig. 3 described later. It should be understood that the units of the apparatus 2000 shown in fig. 2 are only logic modules divided according to the specific functions implemented by the units, and are not used for limiting the specific implementation manner. In actual implementation, the above modules may be implemented as separate physical entities, or may also be implemented by a single entity (e.g., a processor (CPU or DSP, etc.), an integrated circuit, etc.).

The processor 2010 of the apparatus 2000 may refer to various implementations of digital circuitry, analog circuitry, or mixed-signal (a combination of analog and digital) circuitry that perform functions in a computing system. The processing circuitry may include, for example, circuitry such as an Integrated Circuit (IC), an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), portions or circuits of an individual processor core, an entire processor core, an individual processor, a programmable hardware device such as a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), and/or a system including multiple processors.

In some embodiments, the apparatus 2000 may further include a memory (not shown). The memory of device 1000 may store information generated by processor 2010 and programs and data for operation by processor 1010. The memory may be volatile memory and/or non-volatile memory. For example, memory may include, but is not limited to, random Access Memory (RAM), dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM), static Random Access Memory (SRAM), read Only Memory (ROM), and flash memory. Further, the apparatus 2000 may be implemented at a chip level, or may also be implemented at a device level by including other external components.

In some embodiments, the apparatus 2000 may be integrated in a virtual reality device such as an AR, VR, MR, metastic, etc., and the method for planning a route in a virtual environment is performed when the device is enabled by a user. In some embodiments, the apparatus 2000 may also be implemented as a separate apparatus, cooperating and communicating with a virtual reality device of a user. In the case where the devices 2000 are devices carried by users, the devices 2000 of the respective users may interact to exchange required information. In some embodiments, the apparatus 2000 may be configured at the server end, and collect and analyze information of a plurality of users in the virtual environment, and send information related to the planning of the visiting route to the virtual reality device carried by each user.

Fig. 3 illustrates an exemplary flow diagram of a method 3000 for planning a route in a virtual environment, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The method may be used, for example, in an apparatus 2000 as shown in fig. 2.

As shown in fig. 3, in S3010, the overview view display unit 2020 displays an overview view of the virtual environment to a user of the virtual environment for the user to select one or more virtual items of interest in the virtual environment.

The overview view of the virtual environment may display, for example, a floor structure of the virtual environment, a distribution of virtual items included in the virtual environment on each floor, and the like, and allow a user to grasp an overview of the virtual environment. For example, the view shown in FIG. 1 may be displayed as an overview view in the user's virtual reality device.

In some embodiments, the user may interact with the displayed overview view to select one or more virtual items of interest therefrom. For example, when the view shown in fig. 1 is displayed as an overview view in the virtual reality device of the user, the user may select a virtual item of interest by operation such as a gesture, a mouse click, a menu selection, and the like.

In some embodiments, virtual items that may be of interest to the user in the virtual environment may alternatively or additionally be recommended to the user according to the user preferences of the user. In some embodiments, virtual items recommended to the user that may be of interest to the user may also be displayed in the overview view as ancillary information for reference by the user when selecting one or more items of interest.

The user preferences may be collected from the user in advance, for example. For example, in registering before a user wants to experience a virtual environment, user preference information of the user (e.g., types of virtual items of interest, etc.) may be collected in the form of a questionnaire or the like. In addition, the user preferences may also be generated by analyzing historical operational information of the user (e.g., items of interest when the user has visited the same or similar virtual scene in the past). In addition, when the user visits the virtual environment, the eyeball and electroencephalogram analysis of the user can be carried out, and the user preference can be determined.

Next, in S3020, the visiting route generating unit 2030 generates a visiting route of the user in the virtual environment according to the one or more virtual items of interest selected by the user, the visiting route including at least a scene in which the one or more virtual items of interest are located in the virtual environment.

Assuming that the user selects the

virtual exhibits

1, 5, 9 of interest in the overview view shown in fig. 1 in S3010, the visiting route generating unit 2030 generates a visiting route including the

virtual exhibits

1, 5, 9. The visiting route is shown by arrows in fig. 1, and the directions of the arrows represent the visiting sequence of the user, i.e. the visiting route of the user is: virtual display item on the first floor 1 → (going upstairs from the first floor to the second floor) → (virtual display item passing through the second floor 4) → virtual display item on the second floor 5 → (virtual display item passing through the second floor 6) → (going upstairs from the second floor to the third floor) → virtual display item on the third floor 9. In this visiting route, "virtual exhibit 1 on the first floor", "virtual exhibit 5 on the second floor", and "virtual exhibit 9 on the third floor" are virtual articles of interest to the user, and "going upstairs from the first floor to the second floor", "virtual exhibit 4 on the second floor", "virtual exhibit 6 on the second floor", and "going upstairs from the second floor to the third floor" are not of interest to the user, but are the necessary way for the user to visit the above three virtual articles of interest.

In some embodiments, the visiting route may be determined according to, for example, a floor configuration of the virtual environment, a disposition position of the virtual item, and the like, and may be, for example, a shortest visiting route including a visiting route in which the user is interested. It should be understood that the route of visit may also be generated according to other rules, as long as the route of visit includes at least the scene in which the virtual item of interest to the user is located in the virtual environment.

After the visiting route is generated in S3020, the avatar of the user may be advanced along the generated visiting route without the user frequently interacting with the virtual reality device to control and select the visiting path of the avatar. For example, it may be set such that the avatar automatically advances along the visiting route without a control operation of the user. Alternatively, it may be configured such that after the user completes the visit of one virtual exhibit of interest (e.g., virtual exhibit 1), one interaction (e.g., a gesture, a mouse click, etc.) with the virtual reality device is performed to automatically advance the avatar of the user to the next exhibit of interest (e.g., virtual exhibit 5) without stopping at "going upstairs from the first floor to the second floor" and "passing virtual exhibit 4" of the second floor.

In some embodiments, the route of visit that may be of interest to the user in the virtual environment may also be recommended to the user according to the user preferences of the user. In some embodiments, the route of visit that may be of interest to the user may be generated in real-time according to user preferences. For example, where one or more virtual items that may be of interest to the user are determined based on the user preferences of the user, an observation route including the one or more virtual items may be generated for recommendation to the user as an observation route that may be of interest to the user. In other embodiments, a plurality of predetermined visiting routes may be generated in advance, and a visiting route that may be of interest to the user may be selected from the plurality of predetermined visiting routes and recommended to the user according to the user preference. For example, in the case where one or more virtual items that may be of interest to the user are determined according to the user preferences of the user, the visiting route including the largest number of virtual items that may be of interest to the user may be selected from the plurality of predetermined visiting routes and recommended to the user as the visiting route that may be of interest to the user. In addition, the predetermined visiting route may be predetermined in any manner, and may be, for example, a visiting route including a plurality of virtual items that are most popular in the virtual environment, a visiting route of a plurality of virtual items of the same series in the virtual environment (for example, a plurality of paintings of the same painter shown in the virtual paintings show), a visiting route when a certain celebrity visits in the virtual environment, or the like.

In some embodiments, an observation route recommended to the user that may be of interest to the user may also be displayed in the overview view to enable the user to determine whether to take the observation route. In addition, a plurality of predetermined visiting routes may also be displayed in the overview view to allow the user to select a visiting route of most interest thereto.

Next, in S3030, the scene shifting unit 2040 shifts the user through the transition scene in the visiting route according to the user preference of the user. The transition scene is a passing scene from a scene where one virtual article in the one or more interested virtual articles is located to a scene where another virtual article is located by the user. In addition, shifting a user through a transition scenario as described herein refers to shifting an avatar corresponding to the user through a transition scenario in a virtual environment. In addition, in the present application, the "variable speed passing transition scene" means that the transition scene is passed at a speed different from a default traveling speed of the avatar in the virtual environment.

For example, as shown in fig. 1, when a user starts from a scene where a virtual article 1 is located to a scene where a virtual article 5 is located, the user may pass through an escalator (not shown) from a first floor to a second floor and the virtual article 4 from the second floor, and the scenes where the escalator and the virtual article 4 are located correspond to a transition scene of the present application.

In some cases, a user may wish to quickly navigate through a transition scenario to improve viewing efficiency. Accordingly, in some embodiments, the scene shifting unit 2040 may enable the user to move through the transition scene in an accelerated manner (e.g., fast forward, double speed, etc.) according to the user's preferences. For example, when the user completes the visit of the virtual article 1, the avatar of the user can be accelerated through the stairs (not shown) from the first floor to the second floor and the virtual article 4 on the second floor, so that the user can reach the next scene of interest, that is, the scene where the virtual article 5 is located, more quickly.

In some embodiments, the transition scenario may also be skipped automatically in the visited route or by a user through manual operation (gesture interaction with a virtual reality device, etc.) to enable accelerated passage of the transition scenario.

In other cases, the user may wish to slow down through the transition scenario. For example, a user may wish to have more time viewing a virtual floral arrangement at an escalator from a first floor to a second floor. Accordingly, in some embodiments, the scene shifting unit 2040 may slow the user (e.g., 0.5 times speed, 0.75 times speed, etc.) through the transition scene according to the user preference of the user.

The user preferences described herein may also be collected from the user in advance, for example, in a manner similar to that described above. For example, user preference information for a user may be collected in the form of a questionnaire or the like during registration before the user wants to experience the virtual environment (e.g., whether the user wishes to accelerate or decelerate through a transition scenario, etc.). In addition, the user preference may be generated by analyzing historical operation information of the user (e.g., a preference for a transition scenario when the user has visited the same or a similar virtual scenario in the past). In addition, user preferences may also differ for different transition scenarios. For example, the user may wish to accelerate passage when the transition scenario is a virtual item 4 of the second floor that is not of interest to the user, and may wish to decelerate passage when the transition scenario is an escalator with a floral arrangement from the first floor to the second floor. In this case, the user preferences of the user for different transition scenarios may be collected or generated in advance, and different speed changing manners may be adopted for different transition scenarios.

In addition, in some embodiments, a selection interface by way of transition scenarios may be displayed to the user through the virtual reality device, with each transition scenario being freely selectable by the user whether to accelerate, decelerate, or pass at normal speed.

According to the method 3000 for planning a route in a virtual environment of the present disclosure, an visiting route including a virtual item that a user is interested in is generated, and the user is made to pass through a transition scene in the visiting route at a variable speed according to the user preference, so that the interaction complexity between the user and a virtual reality device when the user visits in the virtual environment can be saved, and the visiting efficiency and experience of the user are improved.

The method for planning a route in a virtual environment according to the present disclosure is described above by way of example in a virtual exhibition hall. It should be understood that the virtual environment to which the present disclosure relates is not limited to a virtual exhibition hall, and can be any virtual environment presented using technologies such as AR, VR, MR, metas, and the like, including fully virtual environments and combinations of virtual environments and display environments.

In some embodiments, the presentation of the virtual item displayed to the user may also be adjusted according to user preferences. For example, the user preference may be a display color tone (black and white, color, shading, etc.) of the virtual item, a display definition, a type of display filter, a dynamic display or a static display, an enlarged display of a specific region, mosaic processing of a specific region, or the like. In addition, the user can also adjust the presentation form of the virtual article in the process of visiting the virtual article through the interaction with the virtual reality device. Thereby, a more personalized experience may be provided for different users.

In some embodiments, to further enhance the viewing efficiency and experience of the user, the virtual items in the virtual environment may be rearranged prior to generating the viewing route such that the one or more items of interest selected by the user are displayed proximate to where the user is located in the virtual environment. Next, this embodiment will be described in detail with reference to fig. 4.

Fig. 4 shows a schematic diagram of the virtual exhibition hall and the planned routes rearranged for the virtual exhibition hall of fig. 1.

In the case where the user selects that the virtual item of interest is a

virtual exhibit

1, 5, 9 in the overview view, the virtual exhibits in the virtual exhibit hall are rearranged so that the

virtual exhibit

1, 5, 9 selected by the user is displayed near the position where the user is located in the virtual exhibit hall (assuming that the user is currently at one floor). As shown in fig. 4, virtual exhibits 2 originally in one layer are exchanged to two layers, virtual exhibits 3 originally in one layer are exchanged to three layers, and

virtual exhibits

1, 5, 9 of interest to the user are collectively displayed in the first layer.

Therefore, the visiting route shown by the arrow in fig. 4 is generated, and the user can visit the

virtual exhibits

1, 5 and 9 in sequence without passing through uninteresting virtual exhibits, so that the visiting efficiency and experience of the user can be further improved.

In addition, the interesting virtual articles selected by different users may be different, and different virtual environments can be displayed for different users by rearranging the virtual articles in the virtual environments, so that more personalized service experience is provided. In some embodiments, the user may also be provided with the option of whether to rearrange the virtual items in the virtual environment.

In some embodiments, after the virtual items in the virtual environment are rearranged to generate the visit route, a transition scenario may still exist in the visit route. For example, in the case where the virtual exhibits of interest to the user are 1, 2, 5, 9, even if the virtual exhibits are rearranged, since the first floor can accommodate only three virtual exhibits (e.g., virtual exhibits 1, 2, 5), the user needs to go through the stairs from the first floor to the second floor to reach the second floor to visit the fourth virtual exhibit (e.g., virtual exhibit 9). In this case, the user may be caused to shift through the transition scenario in accordance with the user preference as in step S3030.

In some embodiments, where multiple users visit the virtual environment, multiple users may be considered together to plan a route of visit.

For example, there is a case where user a and user B, which are friends, simultaneously visit the virtual environment. In this case, user A and user B may wish to visit as many virtual items of common interest together as possible to better communicate with each other.

Thus, in some embodiments, where user a (a first user) and user B (a second user) have selected one or more common virtual items of interest, an observation route a (a first observation route) of user a in the virtual environment and an observation route B (a second observation route) of user B in the virtual environment may be generated to enable user a and user B to simultaneously visit one or more common virtual items of interest in the virtual environment.

For example, if the virtual item of interest selected by user a is a

virtual item

1, 5, 9 and the item of interest selected by user B is a

virtual item

1, 3, 5, then the route of visit for user a and the route of visit for user B may be designed as follows:

visit route a: virtual display items on first floor 1 → (from first floor up to second floor) → (virtual display items 4 passing through second floor) → virtual display items on second floor 5 → (virtual display items 6 passing through second floor) → (from second floor up to third floor) → virtual display items on third floor 9 visit route B: virtual exhibit 1 → (going up from the first floor to the second floor) → (virtual exhibit 4 passing through the second floor) → virtual exhibit 5 → (virtual exhibit 6 passing through the second floor) → (going down from the second floor to the first floor) → virtual exhibit 3 of the first floor in the above-described visiting routes a and B, the bracketed contents indicate scenes where virtual articles of interest to the user are located, and the bracketed contents indicate transition scenes. Thus, user A and user B are able to simultaneously visit common items of interest 1 and 5 in the virtual environment.

In addition, in the above example, the user a and the user B simultaneously visit a common item of interest first, and then visit respective items of interest. In some embodiments, it may also be contemplated that user A and user B may visit each item of interest before visiting the common item of interest at the same time.

There are also the following cases: user a and user B sequentially visit the virtual environment, but user B wishes to visit along user a's route of visit.

Thus, in some embodiments, a virtual footprint for a user to visit along the route of visit a may be displayed in the virtual environment according to the route of visit a of the user a in the virtual environment, so that the user B can follow the virtual footprint to visit along the route of visit a of the user a in the virtual environment. In addition, the virtual footprint may be set to disappear after a certain time has elapsed, or the display effect of the virtual footprint may be adjusted according to the time elapsed after the user a visits a certain virtual article, and the transparency of the virtual footprint may be set to be higher as the time the user leaves a certain virtual article is longer.

FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary configuration of a computing device 500 capable of implementing embodiments in accordance with the invention.

Computing device 500 is an example of hardware devices in which the above-described aspects of the present invention can be applied. Computing device 500 may be any machine configured to perform processes and/or computations. Computing device 500 may be, but is not limited to, a workstation, a server, a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a tablet computer, a Personal Data Assistant (PDA), a smart phone, an in-vehicle computer, or a combination thereof.

As shown in fig. 5, computing device 500 may include one or more elements that may be connected to or communicate with bus 502 via one or more interfaces. Bus 502 may include, but is not limited to, an Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) bus, a Micro Channel Architecture (MCA) bus, an Enhanced ISA (EISA) bus, a Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA) local bus, a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus, and the like. Computing device 500 may include, for example, one or more processors 504, one or more input devices 506, and one or more output devices 508. The one or more processors 504 may be any kind of processor and may include, but are not limited to, one or more general-purpose processors or special-purpose processors (such as special-purpose processing chips). The processor 502, which may correspond to, for example, the processor 2010 of fig. 2, is configured to implement the functions of the units of the apparatus for planning a visiting route in a virtual environment of the present invention. Input device 506 may be any type of input device capable of inputting information to a computing device and may include, but is not limited to, a mouse, a keyboard, a touch screen, a microphone, and/or a remote controller. Output device 508 can be any type of device capable of presenting information and can include, but is not limited to, a display, speakers, a video/audio output terminal, a vibrator, and/or a printer.

Computing device 500 may also include or be connected to a non-transitory storage device 514, which non-transitory storage device 514 may be any non-transitory and may implement a storage of data, and may include, but is not limited to, disk drives, optical storage devices, solid state memory, floppy disks, flexible disks, hard disks, magnetic tape, or any other magnetic medium, compact disks or any other optical medium, cache memory, and/or any other memory chip or module, and/or any other medium from which a computer may read data, instructions, and/or code. Computing device 500 may also include Random Access Memory (RAM) 510 and Read Only Memory (ROM) 512. The ROM 512 may store programs, utilities or processes to be executed in a nonvolatile manner. The RAM 510 may provide volatile data storage, and stores instructions related to the operation of the computing device 500. Computing device 500 may also include a network/bus interface 516 coupled to a data link 518. The network/bus interface 516 may be any kind of device or system capable of enabling communication with external devices and/or networks, and may include, but is not limited to, a modem, a network card, an infrared communication device, a wireless communication device, and/or a chipset (such as bluetooth) ^TM Devices, IEEE802.11 devices, wiFi devices, wiMax devices, mobile cellular communications facilities, etc.).

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular example embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the disclosure. As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms "comprises" and/or "comprising," when used herein, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. Furthermore, in the description of the present disclosure, the terms "first," "second," and the like are used for descriptive purposes only and are not to be construed as indicating or implying a relative importance or order. Further, in the description of the present disclosure, "a plurality" means two or more unless otherwise specified.

Reference throughout this specification to "an embodiment" or similar language means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. Thus, appearances of the phrases "in embodiments of the present disclosure" and similar language throughout this specification do not necessarily all refer to the same embodiment.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the present disclosure may be implemented in various forms of hardware-only embodiments, software-only embodiments (including firmware, resident software, micro-program code, etc.), or both software and hardware, and will be referred to hereinafter as "circuits," modules, "" units, "or" systems. Furthermore, the present disclosure may also be embodied in any tangible media as a computer program product having computer usable program code stored thereon.

The description of the present disclosure is described with reference to flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of systems, apparatuses, methods and computer program products according to embodiments of the disclosure. It will be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, and any combination of blocks in the flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions may be executed by a processor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, implement the functions or acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks.

Flowcharts and block diagrams of the architecture, functionality, and operation in which systems, apparatuses, methods and computer program products according to various embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented are shown in the accompanying drawings. Accordingly, each block in the flowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portion of program code, which comprises one or more executable instructions for implementing the specified logical function(s). It should also be noted that, in some alternative implementations, the functions noted in the block may occur out of the order noted in the figures. For example, two blocks shown in the drawings may be executed substantially concurrently, or in some cases, in the reverse order from the drawing depending on the functions involved. It will also be noted that each block of the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, can be implemented by special purpose hardware-based systems which perform the specified functions or acts, or combinations of special purpose hardware and computer instructions.

The foregoing description of the embodiments of the present disclosure has been presented for purposes of illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the embodiments disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the described embodiments. The terminology used herein is chosen in order to best explain the principles of the embodiments, the practical application, or technical improvements to the market technology, or to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the embodiments disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A method for planning a route in a virtual environment, comprising:

displaying an overview view of the virtual environment to a user of the virtual environment for the user to select one or more virtual items of interest in the virtual environment;

generating a route of visit of the user in the virtual environment according to the one or more virtual items of interest selected by the user, wherein the route of visit at least comprises scenes of the one or more virtual items of interest in the virtual environment; and

and enabling the user to change speed to pass through a transition scene in the visiting route according to the user preference of the user, wherein the transition scene is a passing scene from a scene where one virtual article in the one or more interested virtual articles is located to a scene where another virtual article is located by the user.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:

recommending to the user virtual items in the virtual environment that may be of interest to the user based on the user preferences of the user.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:

recommending to the user, from a plurality of predetermined visiting routes, a visiting route of possible interest to the user in the virtual environment according to the user preference of the user.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein shifting the user through the transition scenario comprises:

in the visiting route, the user is caused to move through the transition scene in an accelerating or decelerating manner.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein shifting the user through the transition scenario comprises:

automatically skipping the transition scenario in the visit route or by the user through a manual operation.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the users include a first user and a second user, the first user and the second user having selected one or more common virtual items of interest, the method further comprising:

generating a first route of visit by the first user in the virtual environment and a second route of visit by the second user in the virtual environment to enable the first user and the second user to simultaneously visit the one or more common virtual items of interest in the virtual environment.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the users comprise a first user and a second user, the method further comprising:

displaying, in accordance with a first route of traversal of the first user in the virtual environment, a virtual footprint of the first user's traversal along the first route of traversal in the virtual environment to enable the second user to follow the virtual footprint to navigate in the virtual environment along the first route of traversal of the first user.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:

rearranging the virtual items in the virtual environment such that the one or more items of interest selected by the user are displayed proximate to where the user is located in the virtual environment.

9. An apparatus for planning a route in a virtual environment, comprising:

a memory having instructions stored thereon; and

a processor configured to execute instructions stored on the memory to:

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the processor is further configured to execute instructions stored on the memory to:

11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the processor is further configured to execute instructions stored on the memory to:

12. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein shifting the user through the transition scenario comprises:

13. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein shifting the user through the transition scenario comprises:

14. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the user comprises a first user and a second user, the first user and the second user having selected one or more common virtual items of interest, the processor further configured to execute instructions stored on the memory to:

15. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the users comprise a first user and a second user, the processor further configured to execute instructions stored on the memory to:

displaying, in accordance with a first route of visit by the first user in the virtual environment, a virtual footprint for the first user to visit along the first route of visit in the virtual environment to enable the second user to follow the virtual footprint to visit in the virtual environment along the first route of visit by the first user.

16. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the processor is further configured to execute instructions stored on the memory to:

17. A computer-readable storage medium, on which a computer program is stored which, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to carry out the method according to any one of claims 1 to 8.